Short-hop Commuter Flights
In a flight were the distance is minimal (for planes, that is), say, 100 miles or less, do the planes actually reach a cruising altitude of some height and maintain it? Or do they fly in an obtuse parabola; that is, the steadily climb to a certain altitude and then begin their approach and steadily descend?
Flying My Cessna into LAX
Supposing that I owned a Cessna (or similar private plane) and wanted to visit the West Coast for a few days. Could I just fly it into LAX as if it were a DC-9 coming in from Tokyo? Or would the FAA politely request that I take my little cropduster to an airport in suburbia?
Landing Fees
How are these handled by private pilots? Do you just hand someone $5 (or whatever it is) when you step off your plane? Do you have an account with the FAA and they bill you? Or are private pilots even charged landing fees?
The short commuter flights I’ve been on (Seattle to Bellingham – about 80 miles) had a level en route phase.
It’s legal to fly your Bugsmasher into LAX. But remember that your top speed is close to the minimum speed of the plane behind you. I can’t think of a legitimate reason to fly a piston-single into LAX, when SMO is so close.
I’ve never landed at a place that has landing fees for General Aviation aircraft. I’d assume the fee is paid when you pay for your tiedown. AFAIK, the FAA is not in the business of collecting user fees; I believe these are collected by the local airport authority.
Johnny L.A. is correct.
Air traffic controllers (in the U.S. at least) do not play favorites when it comes to landing your small private plane. In fact, you have as much “right” to be there as a 747 in route from Tokyo. They will sequence you so that you will not be endangered by wake turbulence from a much larger plane such as a 757. A private pilot’s license in the US grants you the right to land at just about any airport in the country (this obviously excludes restricted areas such as US military bases without proper clearance). Commercial planes have no more right to be there than you do (isn’t democracy great?). As stated previously, there are almost never any landing fees.
I have simplified some details a bit here. There is a difference between your average VFR (Visual Flight Rules) pilot and an IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) pilot. Your average owner of a small plane may only hold a VFR license (like JFK Junior). A VFR pilot may be prohibited from entering a highly congested airspace during peak times (Boston, LaGuardia, Dulles, or LAX for example). In IFR flight, the controller in completely in control of the aircraft’s route. In VFR, the pilot can fly wherever he/she wants (imagine driving in a Wal-Mart parking lot) unless the controller issues specific instructions)
This distinction requires some study, but to answer your question, if you own a Cessna 172 and you want to land at LAX, you can, and you have as much right to as anyone else.